Monthly Archives: January 2010

Hang in there, it’s almost Spring! It’s usually around this time of year that we get anxious for sunny skies, warm weather and, of course, drinks at your favorite rooftop lounge!

We are already started to gear up for this coming season and we want you to get motivated too. Book an event at mad46 rooftop lounge before March 1st and get a 10 % discount on your finalbill. Now, that’s a deal that can get you motivated.

Contact Kate Girotti in our sales department at 212-885-6095 or email at mad46@rooseveltnyc.com for more information.

Be sure to stay updated on events and promotion for this coming season by joining our VIP list on our new website at www.mad46.com or follow us on Twitter @mad46.

NOTE: *Offer valid on new bookings only. Valid now through March 1, 2010. Based on availability. Restrictions may apply

We know, you’ve been waiting! For weeks we’ve been talking about exclusive offers that will be available ONLY to The Roosevelt Hotel Facebook and Twitter followers and that time is finally here. Starting this week, our friends and followers will get exclusive (and ridiculously amazing) rate offers on a weekly basis. The offers will vary from week to week and site to site, but they will always be announced on schedule so you know when to check in.

On “Sweet Tweet Tuesdays”, we will announce a rate especially for our Twitter folks and on “Fan-Friendly Friday”, to our Facebook fans. That’s not to say that we won’t sneak in an offer here and there throughout the week, but these are the days that you can count on us being there for you!

We appreciate that you are a part of our community and this is just our way of saying thanks.

When we first made the decision to convert some empty retail space on the corner of Vanderbilt and 45th street into a new bar, we talked about what the name should be, and as usual it was left up to the marketing guy to come up with something creative, and original. You see, I was the one that came up with the name mad46 for our rooftop lounge, and based on the huge success of our rooftop lounge, the task of coming up with another name for our new corner bar was bestowed upon me once again.

This time around I decided to come up with a different approach, something that could involve our customers, our social networking friends and any and all people that would be interested in helping us come up with a new name for the bar. What started out as just a simple idea, took off and turned into a fun and interactive initiative, that created a fun buzz on our social sites, and within the local media. Back in November we launched the “Name our Bar” contest, where we asked for any and all people within the United States, to submit their suggestions on what to name our new bar. What was the prize you ask? Well aside from bragging rights that one could use in naming a bar in New York City, it also would come with some great prizes that ranged from a 2 night stay in a suite, tickets to a broadway show and an invite to our opening party. But the real cool part is that the winner would have their named etched on the back of one of our bar stools, which would signify them always having a reserved seat in the new bar!

The initial wave of entries slowly trickled in, 10 here, 20 there, and then all of a sudden we were getting hundreds upon hundreds of entries from east coast to west coast. Since the rules for the contest only allowed entries from the United States, we received calls from all over the world from people wanting to enter, or just merely sending in their suggestions, it turned out to be more than we expected with over 1,500 entries when we closed the contest.

We received everything from the obvious to the not so obvious, names like “Jiu Ba”, “Affairs”, “ Alecoholics”, and “Eleanors” (which would be connected to the “other” President Roosevelt). But in the end, the staff and management of the hotel were given a variety of names that we felt were the best of the best for originality, marketability and creativity, and in the end we chose Vander Bar! The name has a nice ring to it, the name provides a connection to its location on Vanderbilt Avenue, and it is certainly original! There were 5 lucky winners that submitted this name, and they are all thrilled to be able to have the official bragging rights of naming what will become one of the best local bars in midtown Manhattan. We congratulate and thank our winners and all who took the time to enter.

Everyone will have their own opinions on the name, and those who were not chosen who feel that their name was better, we applaud them and encourage them to come visit Vander Bar when we open up this Spring. After all, in the end what matters most is that the new bar will be a great gathering place for friends and colleagues to meet up after to work or on their way to their train or subway, and Vander Bar will provide everyone with a fun and casual place to do just that!

The Tenement Museum is an extremely interesting museum to visit and a “must see” for New Yorkers. Located on the Lower East Side, this museum tells the stories of a tenement apartment building at 97 Orchard Street. This building was home to nearly 7000 working class immigrants.

Their guided tours give visitors a sense of what the living conditions were like in 19th-century New York City. I really enjoyed “The Moores: An Irish Family in America” about the 1869 home of the Moores, Irish immigrants coping with the death of a child. They offer a variety of tours, including walking tours of the neighborhood.

Also available are workshops and original artworks by immigrants and migrants. It’s a perfect experience to teach students and children about immigration and New York City.

Recently, the museum has unveiled its recreation of the Orchard Street outdoor yard, complete with an outhouse, water hydrant, laundry line, plank fence and original paving stones.

The Tenement Museum is truly a great experience for the whole family! For more details and to book your tour, visit www.tenement.org or follow them on Twitter @tenementmuseum. You can also check out some really great photos on their Flickr page!

It’s ALL I have heard about for weeks. Lady Gaga is coming home to play a show at Radio City Music Hall. The 4-night stretch sold out within minutes a few weeks back, but if you just HAVE to go, there are plenty of tickets out there if you’ve got a few hundred bucks to spend. One of my colleagues here bought a last minute ticket for over $400 just this morning! Well, it is Lady Gaga and we all expect nothing less than a fascinating and entertaining show!

Born and raised in NYC, Lady Gaga is sure to put on her best for the sold out crowd tonight!